Machine for inserting belt lacings



Dec. 24, 1929. G. E. PURPLE MACHINE FOR INSERTING BELT LACINGS Filed Sept. 26, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l i l n n I I i I IHIIIHIIHIIHI HIHIII HHHIIIIIIH I I IIIIHIHIIIIIIIHHIH Dec. 24, 1929. G. E. PURPLE umcums FOR INSERTING BELT memes 2 Sheets-sheaf. 2

Filed Sept. 26, 1928 W77 U672 1??? George E'. Hzrp 76 vMWW- Patented Dec. 24, 1929 PATENT FFIC GEORGE E. PURPLE, OF LA GRANGE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FLEXIBLE STEEL LACIN'G COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS MACHINE FOR INSEBTIIIG BELT LACINGS Application filed September 26, 1928.

The machine of the present invention is designed for the purpose of applying belt lacings or similar fasteners to broad belts or aprons, particularly of the character commonly used in laundry ironei's or the like, al-

though the invention is adapted for use in applying lacings or fasteners to belts or strips intended for other purposes.

In the operation of appliances of this character, it is necessary that the prongs of the fasteners be first positioned to embrace the edge of the fabric for which the fastener is intended, and to thereafter apply pressure in the proper degree and direction to cause the prongs to pierce the fabric from opposite sides and to become compressed and clinched in such a way as to become tightly and firmly engaged.

In connection with operations of this character, it is commonly the practice to employ continuous lacing strips having the prongs struck therefrom, and in applying lacing of this character, unless the operation is properly performed, there exists a tendency for the fabric, along its edge, to assume a waving or undulating character, which must be obviated or prevented in order to maintain the lacing margins in a fiat true plane with the remainder of the fabric.

The present invention is designed to press down and clinch the lacing prongs by roller action properly applied to prevent an undulatory distortion of the fabric, and at the same time to tightly and evenly clinch the prongs in a rapid, certain and satisfactory manner.

Further objects and details of the invention will appear from the description thereof, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine or appliance of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation, taken on line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary details showing the successive action of the rollers in pressing down and clinching the lacing prongs. I

" The machine as shown comprises a bed Serial No. 308,524.

plate 10 of a length necessary to accommodate any width of fabric for which the machine is designed, which bed plate is supported in elevated position upon legs or flanges 11. The bed plate provides a mounting for a rear rack supporting plate 12 which preferably extends throughout the length of the bed plate, and has mounted thereon a rack 13, which, however, is spaced from the rack supporting plate by the interposition of a guide plate 14 which is inwardly extended to afford a guide flange or protection on its forward side for a purpose which will presently appear.

The rack supporting plate 12 is secured to the bed plate by countersunk bolts 15, and tne rack and the interposed guide plate are secured by countersunk bolts 16, as appears from F ig. 3. In front of the rack supporting plate and parallel therewith is located a front plate 17 which carries and supports an inwardly overhanging front guide plate 18, which is provided on its upper face near its rear edge with a groove or channel 19 which furnishes a guideway for a flange 20 constituting a portion of a traveling carriage 21 which mounts and carries the movable por tions of the present invention.

The carriage comprises a frame 22 having what may be termed a base wall 23, from which upwardly project a pair of journal housings 24 and 25, each cored on its interior, as shown in Fig. 3. These journal housings merge into a rear vertical wall 26, the upper margin of which is doubly curved, as at 27 and 28, and the margin of the rear wall is reinforced by the provision of a rearwardly extending flange 29, which follows the doubly curved Configuration of the wall and thus provides a pair of rearwardly opening arched recesses 30 and 31 respectively.

The rear wall 26 is integral with the base wall 23 and journal housings, and springs upwardly therefrom, and this integral construction is characteristic of the carriage frame as a whole, the particular shape of which is of relatively minor importance, since it merely provides an adequate support for the operating mechanism presently to be described.

IUD

The base wall 23 is also integrally connected with a subframe 32 which is configured to provide a pair of journal sleeves 33 located below and in vertical alignment with the journal housings formed in the upper portion of the carriage frame. The guide flange lies adjacent to a groove 34 formed in the under face of the base wall 23 near the forward edge thereof to receive a flange 35 formed along the inner margin of the overhanging guide plate 18, the arrangement being such as to afford an inter-fitting connection between the fixed guideway and the movable carriage in order to permit thelatter to move smoothly and freely from end to end of the guide plate.

The guide plate has secured thereto a comb plate 36 provided with notches 37 in its forward edge, which notches are closely spaced to receive and hold a continuous lacing strip 38 having upper and: lower prongs 39, which are adapted to be brought from the distended position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, first to the piercing position indicated in full lines in that figure and ultimately to the clinched positionshown in Fi 5. The lacing strip is temporarily held in position within the comb by the insertion of a removable wire rod 40 running lengthwise of the combv and immediately within the bend or turn. of the lacing strip.

The particular form and structure of this lacing and: of the comb for holding the same are more fully illustrated and described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 194,019, filed May 25, 1927, so that a further description thereof is not deemed necessary.

The guide plate 18also-is provided with achannel 41 for the reception of an anvil plate- 42 of hardened metal, which is located closely adjacent to the-notched forward edge of the comb plate 36, which anvil plate serves to support the under row of lacing prongs during the clamping and clinching operation.

After the edge of the fabric F has been inserted between the distended prongs,it is customary to initially strike down the prongs by the use of a suitable hammer appliance, such for instance as that described in my copend-.

ing application above referred to, which operation is preparatory to the final clamping and clinching operations performed by the roller appliance of the present invention, which will now be described in detail.

The carriage furnishes a mounting for what may be termed a clamping roller 43 and a clinching roller 44, the former of which serves to initially clamp orcompress the lacing prongs to the degree indicated in Fig. 4, while the latter serves to-tightly roll down and finally clinch the prongs as indicated in Fig. 5.

The roller 44' is mounted upon a shaft 451 which isjournalled through the front and rear walls of the ournal housmg 25, while the roller 43 is similarly mounted upon a shaft 46 which is journalled within the journal housing 24. It is preferred to provide for the slight adjustment of the shaft in order to vary the clinching pressure exerted by the roller 44, and with this end in view the journal openings, as will be observed, are of a size to provide for a slight vertical play in the shaft, which, however, is regulated and limited by the provision of a set screw 47,

' which acts upon ball bearing elements 47 which screw, as shown, is omitted from the journal housing 24, within which the shaft 46 is somewhat closely journalled, since adjustment of this shaft is not ordinarily necessary.

The shaft 45 carries a spur gear 48 which meshes with the teeth of the rack bar 13, and to the rear end of the shaft is secured a handle 49 for rotating the same, which rotation serves not only to positively rotate the clinching roller, but also serves to impart travel to the carriage to cause the rollers to ride over the upstanding prongs and progressively crush them down into the positions indicated in Figs. 4 and 5.

In order to maintain the carriage against any tipping or canting due to the travel of the rollers over the prongs, and to maintain the required compressive action of the rollers toward the anvil plate, the following features are provided:

Each of the journal sleeves 33 has entered therethrough a stub shaft 50, the ends of which project beyond the journal sleeve and in unison afford mountings for a pair of inner rollers 51 and a pair of outer rollers 52, which in each instance are mounted upon ball bearings 53 interposed between the ends of the shafts and the surrounding rollers. The innerrollers bear upwardly against the rearwardly overhanging forward guide plate 18, while .the outer rollers bear upwardly against the overhanging guide flange 14. This arrangement affords a roller bearing surface for the travel of the carriage and prevents any back tilting while the clamping and clinching rollers are acting to force down the lacing prongs.

Operation press and afterwards clinch the prongs into position. It will be noted that the forward or clamping roller is spaced from the anvil plate to a greater degree than the rear orcll-nching roller, which affords a progressive;

action in the operation of the machine, which is highly desirable, in that itcauses the prongs to pierce directly through the fabric without any tendency toward lateral displacement of the prongs, which would result if a single closely spaced roller were employed to perform the entire operation.

By providing positive driving means of the character indicated, slippage will be prevented and a smooth and uniformly rolling contact between the rollers and the lacing prongs will be insured.

Although the invention has been described with particularity, it is not the intention to limit the same to the details described, since variations therein may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a carriage, a frame upon which the carriage is reciprocally mounted, said frame affording a level top for the horizontal support of the fabric to be acted upon, means on said support for holding the lacings in proper relation to the edge of the fabric, and a roller carried by the carriage and positioned to present its rolling edge downwardly toward the support for the fabric in spaced relation thereto.

2. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a carriage, a frame upon which the carriage is reciprocally mounted, said frame affording a level top for the horizontal support of the fabric to be acted upon, means on said support for holding the lacings in proper relation to the edge of the fabric, a roller carried by the carriage and positioned to presentits rolling edge downwardly toward the support for the fabric in spaced relation thereto, and means for positively driving said roller and for imparting positive travel to said carriage along said support.

3. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a carriage, a frame upon which the carriage is reciprocally mounted, said frame affording a level top for the horizontal support of the fabric to be acted upon, means on said support for holding the lacings in proper relation to the edge of the fabric, a roller carried by the carriage and positioned to present its rolling edge downwardly toward the support for the fabric in spaced relation thereto, and means for positively actuating said roller.

4. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a carriage, a frame upon which the carriage is reciprocally mounted, said frame affording a level top for the horizontal support of the fabric to be acted upon, means on said support for holding the lacings in proper relation to the edge of the fabric, a roller carried by the carriage and positioned to present its rolling edge downwardly toward the support for the fabric in spaced relation thereto, a rack on said support, a pinion carried by said carriage and having connection with said roller, and means for rotating said pinion to cause travel of the carriage and rotation of the roller.

5. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a carriage, a frame upon which the carriage is reciprocally mounted, said frame affording a level top for the horizontal support of the fabric to be acted upon, means on said support for holding the lacings in proper relation to the edge of the fabric, a roller carried by the carriage and positioned to present its rolling edge downwardly toward the support for the fabric in spaced relation thereto, and guiding roller means carried by the carriage and adapted to bear upwardly against a portion of said support to prevent tilting movement of said carriage.

6. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a carriage, a frame upon which the carriage is reciprocally mounted, said frame affording a level top for the horizontal support of the fabric to be acted upon, means on said support for holding the lacings in proper relation to the edge of the fabric. a roller carried by the carriage and positioned to present its rolling edge downward ly toward the support for the fabric in spaced relation thereto, means for positively driving said roller and for imparting positive travel to said carriage along said support, and guiding roller means carried by the carriage and adapted to bear upwardly against a portion of said support to prevent tilting movement of said carriage.

7. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a carriage, a frame upon which the carriage is reciprocally mounted, said frame affording a level top for the horizontal support of the fabric to be acted upon, means on said support for holding the lacings in proper relation to the edge of the fabric, a roller carried by the carriage and positioned to present its rolling edge down wardly toward the support for the fabric in spaced relation thereto, means for positively actuating said roller, and guiding roller means carried by the carriage and adapted to bear upwardly against a portion of said support to prevent tilting movement of said carriage.

8. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a carriage, a frame upon which the carriage is reciprocally mounted, said frame affording a level top for the horizontal support of the fabric to be acted upon, means on said support for holding the lacings in proper relation to the edge of the fabric, a roller carried by the carriage and positioned to present its rolling edge downwardly toward the support for the fabric in spaced relation thereto, a rack on said support, a pinion carried by said carriage and having connection with said roller, means for rotating said pinion to cause travel of the carriage and rotation of the roller, and guiding roller means carried by the carriage and adapted to bear'upwardly against a por tion of said support to prevent tilting movement of said carriage.

9. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a carriage, provided on its upper portion with a plurality of compressive rollers and mountings therefor, and provided on its lower portion with a plurality of anti-friction rollers and mountings therefor, a frame having a portion thereof configured to afford a plane substantially horizontal surface for the retention and support of a fabric having its edge in line with the line of travel of'the compressive rollers, and means on the support for the retention of a lacing strip in position to have its prongs acted upon by the compressive rollers, said frame also affording a' portion in ovrhanging contact with the anti-friction rollers to prevent tilting of the carriage.

10. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a carriage, provided on its upper portion with a plurality of compressive rollers and mountings therefor, and provided on its lower portion with a plurality of anti-friction rollers and mountings therefor, a frame having a portion thereof configured to afford-a plane substantially horizontal surface for the retention and support of a fabric having its edge in line with the line of travel of the compressive rollers, means on the support for the retention of a lacin strip in position to have its prongs acted upon by the compressive rollers, said frame also affording a portion in overhanging contact with the anti-friction rollers to prevent tilting of the carriage, and rack and pinion elements on the frame and on the carriage respectively for imparting positive travel to the carriage.

11. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a carriage provided on its upper portion with a plurality of compressive rollers and mountings therefor, and provided on its lower portion with a plurality of antifriction rollers and mountings therefor, a frame having a portion thereof configured to afford a plane substantially horizontal surface for the retention and support of a fabric having its edge in line with the line of travel of the compressive rollers, means on the support for the retention of a lacing strip in position to have its prongs acted upon by the compressive rollers, said frame also affording a portion in overhanging contact with the anti-friction rollers to prevent tilting of the carriage, and rack and pinion elements on the frame and on the carriage respectively for imparting positive travel to the carriage, said pinion element having a driving connection with one of the compressive rollers.

12. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a carriage comprising an upper portion affording journal mountings for a pair of horizontally transversely extending shafts, each shaft having at its forward end a compression roller positioned to rotate in a vertical plane, the carriage on its lower portion carrying anti-friction rollers, and the frame having a portion thereof in overhanging relation to the anti-friction rollers to alford a contacting surface therefor, and the frame and carriage being provided with inter-fitted guiding elements, an anvil plate mounted upon the frame in spaced relation to and immediately below the compression rollers, means adjacent to the anvil plate for retaining in position a lacing strip provided with prongs positioned to be compressed by the compression rollers, a rack carried by the frame, a pinion mounted upon one of the shafts and meshing with the rack, and a handle on said shaft for rotating the same to cause travel of the carriage and to impart positive rotation to the compression roller carried by said shaft, the compression rollers being unequally spaced with respect to the anvil plate to progressively force down and clinch the prongs of the lacing strip.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 22nd day of September, 1928.

GEORGE E. PURPLE. 

